IPOB Frowns At NBA, UK Over Silence In Kanu’s Case

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the United Kingdom (UK) for what it described as their silence regarding the continued detention and trial of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB said both the NBA and the UK government had not demonstrated sufficient concern over what it called irregularities in the handling of Kanu’s case.

IPOB expressed disappointment that the NBA, an institution established to promote and defend the rule of law, has not spoken out on the alleged violations of Kanu’s rights and the integrity of judicial processes in Nigeria.

“The NBA was created to defend the rule of law. Today, it behaves like an association afraid of its own shadow,” the statement said.

“Where are the senior lawyers who used to speak truth to power? Where are the fearless voices that once stood up to military dictators?”

The group argued that the legal profession has a moral duty to uphold justice and protect the rights of citizens.

“Instead of defending justice, the NBA now looks away while courts use repealed laws to try citizens and while judges overlook concerns raised in the course of trials,” IPOB said.

“This silence is destroying public trust in the judiciary. Judges are meant to be lions, not mice. The bench was once filled with brave men and women who preferred resignation to compromise — today, too many prefer silence to courage,” it added.

IPOB also faulted the United Kingdom for what it described as a lack of action in the case of Kanu, who holds British citizenship.

“The UK government has watched quietly as its own citizens are treated unjustly by a system that no longer hides its bias,” the group stated.

“How can Britain, the birthplace of the rule of law, say nothing while Nigeria tramples on everything the common law stands for?”

IPOB further claimed that the legal proceedings against Kanu have been marked by procedural inconsistencies.

“The Court of Appeal’s discharge of Mazi Kanu was overturned through a civil procedure that raised questions of legality,” the group said.

“The Supreme Court sent him back to face trial under a law — the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act 2013 — which has since been repealed.

“He was remanded without a lawyer present, in open violation of his constitutional right to counsel.”

It also raised questions about witness credibility, noting that “some witnesses admitted they had never met him.”

The group argued that if a similar situation had occurred involving a British citizen elsewhere, the UK government would have intervened.

“If this had happened to a British citizen anywhere else in the world, the UK government would have spoken out loudly. But because the victim is a Biafran, there is silence,” the statement said.

IPOB urged both the NBA and the UK government to take a principled stance on Kanu’s matter, insisting that the issue goes beyond regional or political considerations.

“You cannot claim to uphold justice abroad while turning your eyes away from injustice at home or among your citizens,” IPOB said.

“The NBA and the UK must explain their silence. They must stand up for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu — not because he is Biafran, but because justice itself is on trial.”

The group maintained that Kanu’s case represents a test of Nigeria’s judicial integrity and the global commitment to human rights.

“The persecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not just a legal case — it is the mirror reflecting the decay of Nigeria’s judiciary and the moral failure of those who should defend justice,” IPOB added.

“The world is watching, and history will not forget who stood silent while the law was buried in broad daylight.”